Dear Bookclub,
Diane's evening was spectacular from the greet of a "Good Night and Good Luck" champagne cocktail to The Briar Club playlist (there is one on Amazon Music):
After catching up, we settled down to business, sharing our favorite characters and a memories-of -boardinghouse-stays discussion. This morphed into college reminisces, naturally!
Kate Quinn's "The Briar Club" - part patchwork quilt of characters well-developed, part murder-mystery, part cookbook, all à la 1950's, delighted our group. With a nod to the Pillsbury bake-off, Diane created two amazing canapés; one with spinach and artichoke and the other with spinach and lamb - unbelievably wonderful (and barely visible in the picture below as I had already destroyed the supply at this end of the table).
When I say created, I mean Diane impressively researched Pillsbury Bake-off recipes and re-imagined. Please check out the history of the contest:
https://www.pillsbury.com/bake-off-contest/history-of-the-pillsbury-bake-off-contest
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| Eleanor Roosevelt presenting in 1949 at first Bake-off |
The Briarwood House in Quinn's novel was itself a character. In the spirit of that fantasy, Diane's inclusion of Lina's 8-layer honey cake gets my vote for the most-honored guest, seated at the head of the table:
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| stunning and dreamily delicious! |
Quinn's novel was appreciated for spinning a tale that included just about every issue, politically and socially of the era and not wearing us out in the process. Her box-checking nearly tipped the book into the ridiculous but it worked for us. We read well, we discussed well and we ate well. Thank you Kate Quinn and Diane!
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| sweater girls |
Diane's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"Theo of Golden" Allen Levi
"What the Bears Know" Steve Searles and Chris Erskine
"When Women Ran Fifth Avenue" Julie Satow *chosen
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
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